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cradda69
Reviews
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared (2023)
A ridiculous conspiracy theory ruins the entire story
SHORT SUMMARY
Another commenter said it best: "I feel like I just spent three hours on Twitter." This show is akin to wasting hours in some bar listening to a nut job's opinion of what "really happened" to JFK. This is mostly harebrained opinions interspersed with occasional facts.
LONGER SUMMARY (with spoilers)
The show started off well enough, so I won't give it the lowest possible rating. However, instead of supplying facts and hard data in a well written, engaging documentary, parts two and three of this three-part series is a waste of my time on a conspiracy theory. I ask only half-jokingly, don't we have enough of those now?
As noted, it begins quite nicely with a look at the facts & details that we do know and the terrible ordeal placed on the relatives of those who went missing on this tragic flight. Unfortunately, the program chose not to work with "knowing what we don't know" and instead delved into one author's half-baked idea as to the eventual fate of the plane, ultimately of course pinning the blame on Russia/Putin. Why focus on such a bizarre take that requires so much imagination?
Part three also begins well enough, barely, but of course they continued to focus on the author of this conspiracy theory who now had his reputation at stake following debris being found from MH-370. So obviously, this author now casts doubts on the validity of the debris, which by the way completely goes against what an international team of experts has confirmed.
Then yet another offered opinion is it's "not 100% proof". (No kidding, really?) This journalist's other takes are about as extreme and cannot be trusted, suggesting the plane was shot down by the U. S. to prevent electronics from getting to China. Where is the debris, lady? Where? Omg.
The pilot being the cause of the crash at least does not need a lot of imagination, and thankfully they do touch on this. But ultimately this program is not for those who just want facts and realistic theories presented succinctly. I empathize with the families, especially those being led down rabbit holes.
Invasion (2021)
Hard pass recommended
I watched three episodes before giving up. It's bizarre how hit or miss Apple TV is with their shows. This isn't worth the time.
The plot and character development are extremely choppy. It could have been a great show, but there are probably too many characters, frankly most of whom are dreadfully uninspiring. I found myself looking for other things to do while watching it, partly due to the boring and cliched dialogue but also because the revealing of this so-called "invasion" is painfully slow. There are minor teases when it seems like the plot is about to pick up, but then it just as quickly shuts down as we're treated to more clunky, slow dialogue.
Life is too short to waste on bad TV shows. Save a few more hours of yours than I did of mine.
The Twilight Zone: King Nine Will Not Return (1960)
Better off skipping this one
This was not good writing. This show basically goes nowhere until the last five minutes, and the typical "twist" at the end which is so often a theme of TWZ episodes ("Third from the Sun", "A Stop at Willoughby", etc.) is a dud, at least matching the episode in that way.
The real problem is it's totally beaten into your head that the main character is stranded somewhere & possibly delusional. Meanwhile, nothing truly gets answered for the first twenty minutes and, combined with poor acting and awful writing, that makes the episode redundantly tedious. (What a huge difference this is from "Where is Everybody", an outstanding episode, and Earl Holliman's acting might have had something to do with that as well.) At least a fair & reasonable answer is ultimately provided, which saves the episode just slightly.
If you're a big fan of TWZ like I am, you have to watch it, but I'll not be coming back to this one ever again. If you are not a huge fan, I'd of course skip this one.
The Rockford Files: Just a Coupla Guys (1979)
Weak episode & a waste of good possibilities
This was not necessarily a horrible episode, but far, far from good as the story was extremely pedestrian. Someone left a review that stated this episode might have been an introduction to what could have been a new TV show starring "just a coupla guys", the so-called "stars" of this. (Yes, there was very little of Rockford, which is bad regardless, so be forewarned.) Garner is still quite good in a limited role, but he wasn't working with much.
The main problem is, these "coupla guys" are very uninteresting and uninspiring. Furthermore, the writer couldn't seem to decide whether they were more creeps or heroes, and I use that latter term lightly. Lenny and Squiggy would have been better options, I'm not even completely joking about that. So much for starting a new series with these two characters.
Sadly, this was probably written just to finish off the series (with one more left.) It pales in comparison to those of the first two seasons, and scattered others the rest of the years. I kept waiting for it to get started, and there were certainly possibilities for it along the way, but this writer couldn't find them.
If you have watched all the episodes like I have, well, there were better days for sure. If you don't care to watch them all, do yourself a favor & take a hard pass on this one.
The Rockford Files: No Fault Affair (1979)
Not great
The writing started to truly go downhill & this episode was emblematic of that. I gave it a few stars because it's Rockford Files, attributed to my bias, and the plot line outcome of Rita vs Al was semi-interesting. Everything else was a complete waste of time.
Millennium: Borrowed Time (1999)
Another mediocre 3rd season episode
It's too bad the writing became so poor in the third season. I always wondered why they canceled the show after this (other than of course the millennium having arrived with little to no fanfare.) I must have selectively blocked from my memory this season's episodes.
In any event, the subject material for this episode is actually quite good and somewhat less cryptic than many others of the series, but the writing is horribly cliched. Furthermore, along the same lines, I don't even know who this Frank Black is any more. It's understandable why he would become such an overwrought and hysterical character with all that he's been through, but that doesn't make his emotional and irrational inclinations more enjoyable. In the end, this isn't quite as bad as some episodes of the third season, but still nearly everything I've seen so far is worth a hard pass.
The Great Gatsby (2013)
Awful adaptation
This is a sub-par adaptation of what is one of the best books ever. This movie is not awful thru and thru, but basically a completely modernized version of the story and not a good representation of the book. The movie of course includes the usual gratuitous promiscuity that seems to be a necessary element or precondition of so many of today's films, along with 2000s music, not that of the early 1920s. What made the book excellent was, at least partly, the period in which it was set. However, there is a subliminal (for lack of a better word) mood to the book which the movie doesn't capture, except in a couple moments of genius. I might have actually found the movie more acceptable if it was titled differently, but this is certainly not The Great Gatsby: the movie might be worth a slightly higher grade if one watches it under that condition.
A Christmas Carol (2019)
Not worth watching
Fairly good acting, but just an awful adaptation. Save 3+ hours of your life and skip it.